How to Add Lemon Juice to Sweetened Condensed Milk

Condensed milk is cow’s milk, processed in a way to ensure that all the water evaporates leaving thick, creamy milk solid. Proteins, sugars and fats account for the composition of milk. When condensing of the milk occurs, the percentage of milk solid decreases from 25% to 8.25%. This decrease in milk solid accounts for the thickness in the milk. Sweetened condensed milk has many uses in a variety of recipes. It can mimic many other ingredients in cooking, making it an invaluable ingredient and a staple among chefs.

Things You'll Need

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 whole lemon

Cutting board

Kitchen knife

Tablespoon

3 bowls

Plastic wrap

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Take the sweetened condensed milk and pour it out of the can and into a small bowl. Take the entire contents out of the can, as it will spoil inside an open can.

Take the lemon and roll it on a hard surface. Rolling the lemon like this brings out the juices within the ends of the lemon to the middle and will make it easier for juicing.

Place the lemon on a cutting board and cut the lemon in half using a kitchen knife.

Place a small bowl on a table and hold the lemon in your hand above the bowl. Squeeze out the juices into the small bowl. This should give you about 30 milliliters of lemon juice.

Place another bowl in front and place the bowls containing the sweetened condensed milk and the lemon juice side by side and behind this bowl.

Pour 1 tablespoon of lemon into the empty bowl in front of you followed by 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. This 2-to-1 ratio of sweetened condensed milk to lemon allows for proper mixing of these two ingredients.

Continue with Step 6 and use up all the lemon juice. Adding lemon juice or any other acidic juice to condensed milk will thicken up the milk making this process an important cooking technique. The lemon juice thickens up the milk without any heat.